ICSE experimental facilities provide a complete suite of tools for studying combustion processes, aerosol formation, and fires/explosions. A major focus is the coupling of large-scale simulations and experimental work in our industrial-style facilities for both commercial and research purposes. Our facilities include two laboratories, facilities for fuel characterization and by-product formation, and a variety of pilot-scale reactors.

Laboratories

• The combustion laboratories at the University of Utah house a number of laboratory-scale reactors and complementary analytical capabilities.
• The Industrial Combustion and Gasification Research Facility houses our pilot-scale reactors, control systems, and gas and aerosol analyzers.

Fuel Characterization and By-Product Formation

• Liquid- and solid-fuel laminar-flow drop tubes
• Bench-scale fluidized bed combustor
• Inverse diffusion flames
• Two-stage premixed burners
  
• Single-stage premixed burner
• Wolfhard-Packard style slot burner
• Thermogravimetric lab

Pilot-Scale Reactors

• 5 million BTU/hr pulverized coal/multi-fuel furnace
• Pressurized entrained-flow gasifier
• Pressurized fluidized-bed gasifier
• 1 million BTU/hr grate-fired combustor (stoker)
• 250,000 BTU/hr oxyfuel combustor
• 1 million BTU/hr circulating fluidized bed
• Diesel engine test facility
• Large-scale fire facility
• 3 million BTU/hr process heater
• Thermal and catalytic cracker

Field Testing

ICSE has the ability to measure gas- and particle-phase emissions with our mobile laboratory, and we have a history of collecting field data under challenging conditions including the exhaust plumes of rocket motors, F-18 aircraft, and agricultural burns. The mobile laboratory has air conditioning, ample electrical outlets, and a flexible configuration, so that the researchers can collect measurements from a variety of sources and ambient samples. Its current capabilities include:

The mobile lab also has several real-time or near real-time instruments for characterizing particulate matter (PM). We can measure particle size distribution for particles ranging from 7 nm to 10 nm; particle mass of PM10, PM2.5, and PM1; black-carbon content, and particle-bound PAH content. In addition, we can collect a variety of filter and impactor samples for off-line characterization of PM composition. For more complete details on our aerosol characterization capabilities, see our aerosol page.

The mobile lab has several gas-phase analyzers and a Tedlar-bag sampler for collecting gas-phase samples for off-line analysis. The gas-phase analyzers include:

• Total hydrocarbons - VIG Industries FID Model 20
• CO/ CO₂ - a California Analytical Nondispersive Infrared (NDIR) analyzer.
• NO_x species, specifically NO, NO₂ and overall NO_x, with a Thermoelectron chemiluminescent analyzer.
• Utah Test and Training Center, UT measured particulate emissions from a Minuteman rocket motor.
• North Island Naval Station, Coronado, CA evaluated the effectiveness of real-time particle characterization instruments for measuring emissions from aircraft engines (S-3 Viking and the F/A-18 Hornet).
• Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base, California Air Resources Heavy-Duty Diesel Engine Test Laboratory, and Edwards Air Force Base evaluated the effectiveness of diesel filters for removing particulate emissions from diesel exhaust.
• U.S.-Mexico Border (Calexico/Mexicali and C. Juarez/El Paso) looking for high emitters of PM.
• Imperial Valley, CA: Characterized PM emissions from agricultural burns.